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Vanity Mirror: Shu Uemura Remembered

Legendary beauty pioneer Shu Uemura, who was known as the man who elevated makeup to an art form, passed away last December. The 79-year-old left behind his legacy to his protégé, Kakuyasu Uchiide, who is now at the helm of the Shu Uemura beauty brand. "[Shu Uemura] was a true advocate and an artist in the beauty industry," says Uchiide. "He always aimed to create universal beauty that everybody can appreciate."

Uemura got his first big beauty break in 1955 on the set of the American movie Joe Butterfly, which was being shot in Tokyo. Hollywood then lured Uemura stateside, where for the next decade he created screen faces for stars such as Shirley MacLaine and Frank Sinatra (who once gave Uemura a box inscribed with the words "shu shu baby" for the makeup artist's birthday). In 1965, Uemura returned to Tokyo to open Shu Uemura Make-up Institute, which was the first Hollywood-like makeup studio in Asia.Believing that beautiful makeup starts with beautiful skin, Uemura introduced the first oil-based cleanser to Japan, in 1967. Cleansing oils and other skin-care products have since become a Shu Uemura signature, as has mode makeup—the concept of using makeup to explore artistic expression—which Uemura pioneered in 1968.

"Mode makeup is the true spirit of Shu Uemura," Uchiide says. Today the brand has an expansive palette of 150 shades of eye color, 40 hues of nail polish, and over 200 lip tints for artistic endeavors.

In 1983, the first Shu Uemura boutique opened in Tokyo on June 19—the birthday of Uemura himself. Since then, Shu Uemura stores have dotted the globe in places such as New York, Boston (pictured above), Taipei, Milan, and London.

Each year, to commemorate the opening of the inaugural Shu Uemura shop, the company creates a limited-edition line. This June, for the store's 25th anniversary, three original fragrances and corresponding color palettes, and a long-lasting eyeliner—the Hana-Bi "fireworks" collection (pictured above)—will explode onto the scene. The Fleur de Rose fragrance, which comes in a bottle with a pink dot, is a spicy, floral scent with a touch of amber. The coordinating eye-shadow palette, with colors drawn from flowers, has just the right feminine feel. Inspired by earth, Fleur de Terre is a clean, fresh scent with hints of rosemary and bergamot. The pink, green, and brown eye colors that go along with it match the fragrance's intensity. The Fleur de Source scent is pure and cool with an infusion of coriander, papyrus, and basil, and its blue and green shadows will make your eyes pop.

Speaking of drawing attention to your eyes, in 2005, Shu Uemura opened its Tokyo Lash Bar at cosmetics counters around the planet. At these bars, customers can experiment with the brand's annual false-eyelash collections that use materials ranging from velvet feathers to black crystals. (Here, models show off their lashes from the 2006 Tokyo Lash Bar collection, which was conceived by Uemura.) And who could forget the exalted Shu Uemura eyelash curler? Makeup artists and mortals alike worship the iconic tool.

So Uchiide (pictured here) has inherited quite the canvas on which to create. "I think balance between innovation and conservation is very important," Uchiide says. "I do not wish only to be conservative to protect our brand. We need to keep on progress without any sudden changes."

"I believe makeup is bringing out the individual beauty, not to create a completely different person," he continues. "Everyone is attractive in their own way. Makeup must be the true reflection."